Description

This plugin disables the WordPress emoji functionality, removing unnecessary code bloat that adds support for emojis in older browsers.

What it does

Removes the emoji detection script from wp_head and the admin
Removes emoji styles from wp_print_styles and admin
Removes emoji DNS prefetching, preventing connections to s.w.org
Removes the wpemoji TinyMCE plugin
Strips emoji CDN hostname from DNS prefetch hints

Performance & Privacy

Emojis will still display in modern browsers that have built-in support. This plugin simply removes the extra HTTP requests and JavaScript overhead for browsers that don’t need it. Additionally, it prevents DNS prefetching to WordPress.org’s emoji CDN, improving privacy.

Note: Emoticons like :) will continue to work as expected.

Requirements

PHP 7.4+
WordPress 5.0+

Conformité au RGPD

This plugin does not send any data to external servers. It disables DNS prefetching of emojis within WordPress, which should ensure improved privacy. To determine if your site is GDPR compliant, please seek legal advice. I have done my best to ensure the plugin is 100% GDPR compliant, but I am not a lawyer so cannot guarantee anything.

Architecture

The plugin uses:

Quality

All code uses declare(strict_types=1) and follows PSR-12. The plugin runs the following tooling:

PHP_CodeSniffer (run via composer phpcs) — sniffs for PSR-12 violations
PHP-CS-Fixer (run via composer cs) — dry-run style check
PHPStan at level 6 (run via composer phpstan) — static analysis

Installation

Standard installation

Upload the disable-emojis folder to /wp-content/plugins/, or install via the WordPress plugin installer
Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen in WordPress
Done! Emoji bloat is automatically removed.

Composer installation

If your site uses Composer for dependency management:

composer require ryanhellyer/disable-emojiis

Visit the Disable Emojis plugin page for more information.

FAQ

Will this break emojis on my site?: No. Modern browsers have built-in emoji support. This plugin only removes the JavaScript and CSS that WordPress adds for very old browsers.
Will emoticons still work?: Yes. Text-based emoticons like :) and :D will continue to work as they always have.
Is this plugin GDPR compliant?: It does not connect to any external servers or send any data. It removes the DNS prefetch to WordPress.org’s emoji CDN. See the GDPR section above for details.

Avis

theatercuriosum 30 avril 2026

I think the plugin does what it says. No errors, no ads, no premium. Just a tiny plugin.Though I never found out, if it is still necessary in 2026.

Jason LeMahieu (MadtownLems) 22 septembre 2025

It’s so rare to find a plugin these days that has no bloat, no upsells, no ANYTHING beyond exactly what’s needed to get the job done. Thank you!

TraceMyIP 9 juin 2025

Disable Emojis by Ryan Hellyer is a gem! With 60k+ active installs and nearly perfect 5-star rating, it’s clearly doing something right. This lightweight plugin strips out WordPress’s bloated emoji code while keeping your content looking great in modern browsers. The GDPR-friendly bonus is huge – it stops DNS prefetching to external emoji servers, protecting visitor privacy. Ryan’s been maintaining this for years and it shows. Your site loads faster, stays compliant, and emojis still work naturally. Win-win-win!

kianmovahhed 13 novembre 2024

Does not activate. Every time I click « activate », the page just refreshes with no action.

Chris Lovie-Tyler 19 avril 2024

Thanks for making this plugin, Ryan!

Walf 29 mai 2023

No settings, just works.

Lire les 108 avis

Contributeurs/contributrices & développeurs/développeuses

« Disable Emojis (GDPR friendly) » est un logiciel libre. Les personnes suivantes ont contribué à cette extension.

Ryan Hellyer

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Le développement vous intéresse ?

Parcourir le code, consulter le SVN dépôt, ou s’inscrire au journal de développement par RSS.

Journal des modifications

1.9.2 (2026-05-10)

Documentation change — removed references to Modularity and PSR-4 autoloading

1.9.1 (2026-05-10)

Removed Composer autoloader — plugin loads via require_once instead of the vendor/autoload.php

1.9 (2026-05-06)

Name spacing the PSR implementation to prevent plugin clashes

1.8 (2026-04-30)

Refactor for modern PHP standards

1.7.8 (2026-04-29)

Prise en charge confirmée des versions récentes de WordPress.

1.7.7 (2024)

Prise en charge confirmée des versions récentes de WordPress.

1.7.6 (2023-06-28)

Prise en charge confirmée des versions récentes de WordPress.

1.7.5 (2023-05-19)

Prise en charge de Composer.

1.7.4 (2018-07-05)

Correction des erreurs typographiques.

1.7.3 (2018-07-05)

Version bump.

1.7.2 (2018-07-05)

Amélioration subtile de la propreté du code.
Documentation améliorée concernant les enjeux du RGPD.

1.7.1 (2018-06-13)

Added GDPR friendly label.

1.7 (2017-08-04)

URL de préchargement DNS à nouveau supprimée.
Using simple string check rather than relying on internal WordPress filters.

1.6 (2017-07-19)

Removed DNS prefetch URL. Props to Aaron Queen.

1.5.3 (2016-12-19)

Catering to new DNS prefetch URL in version 4.7 of core.

1.5.2 (2016-08-23)

Documentation améliorée.
Removed redundant DNS prefetching.

1.5.1 (2016-08-23)

Mise à jour de la documentation.

1.5 (2017-08-04)

Catering for invalid plugin array.

1.4 (2018-06-13)

Mise à jour pour utiliser le code d’Otto.

1.3 (2018-05-04)

Suppression des styles superflus.

1.2 (2016-08-23)

Correction de bogue.

1.1 (2016-08-23)

Mise à jour pour fonctionner avec la dernière version bêta.

1.0 (2015-03-22)

Version initiale.

It does what it says – Still necessary?

Small but mighty

Clean Up Your Site & Improve GDPR Compliance

Doesn’t activate

Does what I need it to

Thorough and concise